A couple of loyal Ashvegas readers have told me that Ben Durant, the chief financial officer of the city of Asheville, has resigned to take a new job back in his hometown of Elizabeth City.
The resignation of the city’s top financial officer could not come at a more critical hour: the city is facing a multi-million dollar deficit as Asheville City Council races to finalize a new budget by the end of June; and several city employees are being investigated for financial fraud in the city’s human resources department.
So why is Durant leaving now? I have no idea. Can anyone help flesh this out?
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The city has managed to replace the CFO with the only person more incompetant and deliberately obllivious to standards for use of public funds, labor laws, city policy and fiscal management. When this blows, and it will, be sure to watch the finger pointing and blame game that begins.
How the media has allowed the rampant corruption and incompetance of the department directors of the city to go unchecked so long is beyond me.
The article states he is from the Elizabeth City area, so maybe he just wants to go home. There can’t be that many jobs in that area that would fit his skills, so I’m sure he jumped at the chance if he wanted to return to his roots. Probably no big deal.
A municipal CFO is the person responsible for all aspects of public finance accountability. I’m still puzzled how the FSA situation could have gone on for so long without the CFO aware of it. Inconceivable to me, since fiduciary oversight responsibility is his chief charge. Not doing his job.